


Guinevere: Homecoming

by WhiskeyBandit



Series: Guinevere [3]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Bordering on Meta, F/M, Fluff, Fun, I was tempted to go there, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 18:38:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11561040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskeyBandit/pseuds/WhiskeyBandit
Summary: How would Yondu, Peter and the rest of the Milano crew handle Gwen's family and modern day Terra??This is the third installment of the Guinevere Series. This piece is total fluff and fun and silliness because they (and my own frayed nerves) needed it after the last piece! It's completely ridiculous and borders on meta. I almost went there, it was tempting, but I stopped myself.





	1. Nightmares

Guinevere chased her eight year old nephew through the forest. “Robbie! Robbie, wait! Come back!”

The little brunette boy looked back and laughed. “Come and get me Aunt Gwennie!” He took off again through the trees.

Gwen began to panic, “No Robbie! It’s dangerous!” She tried to run after him, but her feet sank into the mud. She pulled one foot out and forward, and then the other, trying to make headway, but he was running too fast.

She heard the boy scream, and then there he was, lying on the ground in front of her. A Kree soldier looming over him, preparing to strike. She reached down for her weapon, but it was missing. Instead, in its place was a pencil. She hurled the pencil at the soldier. He shattered into a million tiny pieces like glass and scattered on the ground around Robbie.

Robbie jumped up. “I wanna see the stars like you see them, Aunt Gwennie!” He smiled brightly at her.

Gwen was still stuck in the mud. She shook her head anxiously, “No Robbie, it’s not safe.”

Just then, Peter came out from behind the trees. “Hey Robbie! You wanna come with me? We’ll have tons of fun!”

Robbie beamed at Peter with excitement, “Okay!”

Peter took Robbie’s hand and began walking off into the forest together.

“No Peter! Don’t!” Gwen tried to run after them, but her arms were now covered in vines. She struggled against the vines to get free, but it was no use.

“I’ll teach you how to be a Ravager, like Yondu taught me, and Stakar taught him. One day you’ll captain your own ship, and people will try to kill you, too.” Peter turned around and smiled at Gwen.

“Noooooo!” Gwen jerked and pulled at the vines, and the vines turned into Yondu.

He was holding her wrists and yelling, trying to get her attention, “Gwen! Gwen!”

“He’s going to take him!” She screamed at him, still trying to break free.

“Gwen! It’s okay Gwen!” He got right in her face but she kept trying to see around him to Peter, who was walking off with Robbie.

“We have to stop Peter!” She cried.

“Gwen!” Yondu yelled one more time, “Wake up!”

Gwen froze. She looked around baffled and blinked. The forest was gone. She was lying in bed, next to Yondu, in their room on the Eclector. Yondu finally let go of Gwen’s arms. She let out a sigh and sat up, covering her face with her hands.

“Family or the Kree?” Yondu asked, unfazed. He kissed her shoulder comfortingly.

“It was an all-star cast tonight.” She leaned into his chest, exhausted by another nightmare.

He rubbed her arm, “Here,” he stood up and walked over to the liquor cabinet. He poured her a shot of Curati and sat back on the bed, handing it to her. 

Gwen took the shot and downed it quickly. “Thank you.” She handed the glass back to Yondu, who sat it on the nightstand. He pulled her back into his arms and laid Gwen and himself back down on the bed.

“Wanna tell me about it?” Yondu asked cautiously.

Gwen thought for a moment, “It was about Robbie. The Kree was there, they tried to kill him, and then Peter took him. He said he was going to make him a Ravager Captain like you.”

“Wow.” Yondu raised his eyebrows, “Sounds like a whole lot a worries all rolled into one.”

“Pretty much,” Gwen yawned. She snuggled into her captain and kissed his chest.

Yondu ran his fingers through Gwen’s hair. He looked at the chopped ends and felt a crushing weight in his chest, remembering why it was so short. She had cut off her braid to get away from the men that tried to kill her. It now fell just below her shoulders, instead of down to the small of her back. He didn’t care about the length of her hair. It was just a constant reminder of everything she had been through; everything _they_ had been through. It had grown out some in the last three months, but it would be years before it would reach the length it used to be. He silently wondered if the nightmares would last just as long.

 

Yondu woke the next morning before Gwen did. He got up and got dressed. He smiled at his wife and kissed her on the head before leaving for the ship deck. He no longer had to worry about her being alone on the ship. None of his crew dared touch her. Everyone now knew that she was fully capable of taking care of herself. Not that anyone wanted to harm her either. After the attack from the Kree, they saw her not only as an equal, but as someone deserving of respect. She was free to go anywhere on the ship that she wanted.

Yondu had even told her that she was welcome to sit in on officer’s meetings, but she had declined the offer in general. She had no interest in sharing control. It was his ship and he was doing a fine job, as far as she was concerned. She would continue to sit in as a consult when he needed advice on jobs, and she would accompany him on those jobs, but other than that, she enjoyed having her free time.

She still loved hanging out with Kraglin, Obo and Eugene and she still missed Merle a great deal. He had sacrificed himself for the crewman that had been crying over the photo in the rec room the night of the attack. That crewman, Gwen found out later, had taken a ride with Stakar’s ship back to his home planet. Gwen hoped that he was finally back with whomever he was missing.

Gwen awoke about an hour later. Realizing her husband was gone, she grumbled and sat up, rubbing her face. She didn’t like waking up to an empty bed, but she knew Yondu wouldn’t wake her if he didn’t have to; especially after a ‘bad night’. And those bad nights were coming more frequently, which meant she woke up alone more frequently. She went into the bathroom and drew herself a bath. She relaxed for about a half an hour before getting out to get dressed. She stood in front of the mirror looking at her hair. She brushed it quickly, trying not to notice the uneven edges made from her dagger. She hated her hair now. Every time they landed on a new planet, she swore to herself that she would have it cleaned up professionally, but she could never bring herself to do it. The thought of it just caused more anxiety. She angrily pulled her hair back into a ponytail. It was all she could do with it now.

 

After breakfast, Gwen headed up the stairs to the ship deck. She found her captain at the helm, looking as bored as ever. They were in between jobs, headed to Xandar for fresh supplies and nobody had much to do except general maintenance.

Yondu heard Gwen walk in and turned around to look at her. “Hey, what are you up to?” He asked glumly. He had a depressed expression on his face.

“May I speak with you privately, Sir?” She asked, standing with her hands behind her back.

“Sure. Kraglin?” Yondu stood up and Kraglin took his place. He led her into the office and shut the door.

“What’s wrong?” he asked with a puzzled expression. It didn’t take long for him to figure out why she wanted to ‘speak’ to him. Gwen wrapped herself around him as soon as he shut the door. She kissed him lustfully on the mouth.

“What’s wrong is you left this morning without _breakfast_.” She grinned. Her hands immediately went for his pants, but Yondu stopped her.

“Gwen, we need to talk.” He looked down at the floor soberly.

Gwen put her hands down and gave him a nervous frown. “Uh oh. Nothing good ever comes from ‘we need to talk’.”

He looked at her with concern in his eyes, “You’ve been havin’ a lot of these nightmares lately.”

“Well there isn’t an abundance of phycologists out here so it’s kind of to be expected.” She defended.

“I know. Which is why I think you need to take a break.” He eyed her sternly.

“Take a break? A break from what? It’s not like I’m working every day. I’ve got plenty of free time-“

Yondu cut her off, “You need a break from the ship.”

Gwen stepped back, stunned “You want me to go stay with Peter again?” she said hotly.

Yondu shook his head, “No. I think you need a break from being out _here_. I think you need to go home for a bit.”

Gwen snapped defensively, “This _is_ my home!”

“You know what I meant. You need to go back to Terra. You need to see your family and make things right.” He demanded.

“They’re fine. They don’t need me.” She tried to argue.

Yondu cupped her face with his hands, “Maybe not. But _you_ need _them._ ”

Gwen looked into his eyes. They were pained. She knew he was right, but hated admitting it. The idea of leaving her captain for a third time was just too much. Her heart began to break, “I can’t leave you again,” she whimpered. She hugged his waist tight.

Yondu wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers. “Seein you like this is killin’ me, and I don’t know how to fix you. You keep dreaming that your family is being killed. That tells me they’re on your mind a lot more than you’re lettin’ on. You need to go see them.”

Gwen grumbled into his chest, “Sometimes I hate that you’re so damn smart.”

Yondu chuckled, “So you’ll go?”

She huffed, “I didn’t say that.”

“Guinevere Grace,” he scolded.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed as she pulled herself out of the hug, “I’ll think about it, okay?”

Yondu rubbed her arms and smiled at her, “Thank you.”

“How long are we talkin’ here? A week? A month?” she eyed him guardedly.

“Long as it takes. I’ll leave that up to you.” He kissed her forehead.

“Fine,” She grinned at Yondu again and grabbed his pants, pulling him close “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can we get back to me scolding you for missing breakfast?”

Yondu chuckled at Gwen playfully, “Yes ma’am.”

 

Later that afternoon, Gwen headed back to her room to call Peter. She wanted his input on Yondu’s idea of sending her back to Terra. She refused to call it “home”. It was no longer her home and she loathed the idea of going back. If it wasn’t for her family, she wouldn’t even entertain the idea of stepping foot back on that planet. But she knew Yondu was right about one thing. She missed her family. And her near-death experience made her realize that never seeing them again would break her mother’s heart, especially after how they left things on her last visit. She did need to fix things with her mom. But at the same time, she didn’t want to leave Yondu. She had a constant dreaded fear that anytime she left him would be the last time she’d see him. Their lives in space were so precarious that death seemed to always be looming around the corner. The thought of Yondu dying while she was away, mixed with the depression she dealt with the last time she went back, made Earth the last place she wanted to be. Peter’s unique experiences along with their close relationship made him the perfect person to talk to about it.

“Hey little sis.” Peter smiled at her through the monitor.

“Still older than you!” She smirked.

“You’re still shorter too,” he teased. “What’s up?”

“I need your advice. I’ve kinda been having… nightmares, about my family. Yondu wants me to go back to Earth and set things right with my mom. But I’m terrified of leaving him again. I just don’t know what to do.”

Peter sighed and thought for a moment. He looked back up at her solemnly, “When my mother was dying, she begged me to take her hand. I didn’t. That was thirty years ago and I’m still holding onto that regret.”

“But what if it’s Yondu’s hand I’m supposed to hold when he’s dying?” She countered.

“If Yondu died tomorrow, would you have any regrets?”

“Of course not.” She defended.

“What if your mother died tomorrow?”

Gwen went silent for a long moment. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Hate to break it to you, but Yondu’s right… again.”

“Damn him.” Gwen grumbled teasingly under her breath.

Peter chuckled, “Remember the last time you left Yondu, when you stayed with us? You were okay then. What was different?”

“Um, I was more in control of the situation. I knew when I was going home. I knew I could talk to him. I kept busy and didn’t have people assuming I was insane.”

“Okay, so your mom knows about Yondu now. She knows you’re not insane. And you’ll have a specific timeframe of when you’ll be back. You won’t feel like you’ve been abandoned again. And you’ll be keeping busy actually enjoying your visit instead of feeling hopeless.”

“I guess you’re right. I should start thinking about it that way. The whole ‘feeling abandoned’ thing is what really did me in last time.” Gwen nodded confidently, “I’m not being abandoned. I’m in control.”

Peter smiled, “That’s right. Plus, you’re going back in the summer time instead of winter. Always a plus. Sandy beaches, warm waters, ice cold beer-“

Gwen’s eyes snapped open widely, “What did you say?”

Peter looked confused, “Sandy beaches?”

“No, no. Before that. It’s summer time right now?”

“Yeah, I think it’s like… May or something.”

Gwen gasped excitedly, “Oh my gosh Peter! You’re a genius! I could hug you!”

“Wait… what did I say?” Peter was really confused now.

Gwen laughed, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got to go talk to Yondu and I’ll call you back later! Love you!”

She didn’t even wait for a goodbye from Peter. She clicked the comm off and ran to find Yondu.

 

Gwen ran to the ship deck but Yondu wasn’t there. “Kraglin! Where’s the Captain?”

Kraglin raised an eyebrow, “Uh… think he’s at the docks.”

“Thank you!” She ran off down the hall.

Gwen found Yondu at the docs with Tullk and some of his grunts. She ran up to him and stopped short, placing her hands behind her back and waiting very impatiently for him to address her.

Yondu turned around to see Gwen standing behind him, with her eyes so wide they looked like they were ready to pop out of her head. He gave her an inquisitive look and turned back to address his men, “Finish the inventory on the ships and have them on my desk by the end of the week.”

“Yes Sir.” One of the men nodded and went back to working.

Yondu turned back around to address Gwen, “You look like you got a buzzer in your pants.” He teased with a grin, “What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?”

“I need to talk to you. In private.” She glanced over at the men.

“Okay, let’s head back to the room for lunch.” He put his hand on her back and led her off the catwalk.

 

They went back to the room and called down to the kitchen to bring them lunch. “So what’s up?” Yondu was sitting at his desk, but Gwen was too keyed up to sit still.

“I’ll go back to Earth under one condition.”

“What’s that?” He looked at her cautiously.

Gwen’s smile stretched from ear to ear, “You come with.”

Yondu scoffed, “You know I can’t do that.”

“Oh yes you can. At least you can in a few weeks!”

“What the hell are you goin’ on about, girl?”

“Let me get Peter on the comm and I can explain it to both of you!”

“Alright,” Yondu stood up and gestured for Gwen to take his seat.

Gwen sat down and got Peter back on the comm.

“What in the hell has crawled up your ass, Gwen?” Peter raised an eyebrow.

“That’s what I’d like to know!” Yondu chuckled.

“So you’re still just as confused as me?” Peter asked him.

“You’re both about to be clued in. Okay, so here’s the deal. I’ll go back to Earth, but ya’ll gotta come with me.”

“Well I have no problem with that,” Peter started, “But you know nobody else can.”

“Not true!” She beamed eagerly.

“How so?” Peter countered.

“Do you remember, when you, Drax and Gamora first met me? You said something about going into town and I told you that you could just play them off as cosplayers?”

Peter thought for a moment, puzzled, “Yeah, but I didn’t understand what that meant, and then the conversation took a quick turn.”

“Well, I was right and I was wrong. I would have thought you guys were cosplayers if it hadn’t been for that ship, and the fact that you were a month off.”

Yondu leaned over and looked down at Gwen, “You _do_ realize we still have no idea what the hell you’re talkin about, right?”

Gwen looked up and laughed, “I know. That’s what’s making this so much fun.”

“Get to the punchline, girlie.” He scolded her halfheartedly.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. When you picked me up last year, it was July. There’s a thing that happens every summer, in June, called a Comicon, or comic convention. That’s where, for one weekend a year, thousands of people get dressed up as their favorite comic book or science fiction characters and get together to have fun! People are dressed up like monsters and aliens, superheroes and antiheroes, whatever they want to be! And _nobody_ bats an eye! It’s called cosplaying!”

A grin slowly played over Peter’s face as he finally caught on, “So you want to sneak us all into town that weekend as cosplayers?”

“Exactly!” She smacked her hand on the table. She looked back up at Yondu, who still hadn’t argued, but didn’t look like he was sold on the idea either.

“This is still a pretty risky move, Gwen” Yondu warned her. “And what about the ship?”

“Hardly anyone ever goes to that clearing in the woods. But somebody would probably have to stay with the ship. At least part of the time. Unfortunately, there’s no way we could pass off Groot or Rocket as costumes. Our technology just hasn’t gotten far enough for that yet. So they wouldn’t be able to come with us anyway. They would have to stay with the ship.” Gwen gave Yondu a pleading look, “But it’s only for four days. Please! I’ve wanted so much for my family to actually meet you all, this would be the perfect opportunity!”

“I’ve met your mother. She’s not one of my favorite people.” Yondu scowled.

Gwen eyed Yondu sharply, “You saw her for five minutes and I don’t think you even spoke to her.”

“And that was enough.” He grimaced.

Gwen grabbed his hand and held it to her face, “Please, Baby!” She pouted. “I won’t go otherwise! It’s this or nothing!”

Yondu huffed and looked at Peter, “Well, whadya say, kid? You in?”

Peter smiled and shrugged his shoulders, “I’m game.”

Yondu looked back at Gwen, “Alright. Four days. That’s it.”

Gwen jumped up and hugged Yondu excitedly, “Yes! This is going to be so much fun!”


	2. Welcome to my world

Gwen spent the next two weeks preparing for their return trip to Earth. They would take Peter’s ship back and use her phone to call her sister before they landed. Rocket would have to work his magic on her phone again to make the call, but she needed to make sure she had the weekend correct before they got near the surface.

She had been taking videos all around the ship for her family. Explaining what things did, interviewing her friends and the crew, or just playing around and being silly. She wanted her family to see what her life was like in space. She wanted them to not worry and know that she was happy.

She also needed to make sure they had money, and plenty of it. She had originally asked Yondu if there was anything of Earth value she could use to pawn for cash, but Yondu surprised her by pulling out a large stack of American currency from a vault in his office. When she asked him how he got the money, he reminded her that he had been on Terra a time or two; and that he was, after all, a pirate.

One week before their intended arrival, Peter picked Gwen and Yondu up from the Eclector. Yondu still wasn’t excited about the idea, but went along with it because it was what Gwen wanted. This trip was solely to get her head screwed back on right and he wasn’t about to do anything to mess that up, even if it meant spending time with the wicked mother-in-law. As it was, she hadn’t had another nightmare since he had agreed to go with.

Once they reached Earth’s orbit, Gwen put the call in to her sister. She put her on speaker so everyone could hear.

“Gwennie?!” Julienne’s voice squeaked through the phone.

“Hey Jules!” Gwen beamed back.

“Oh my god! How are you calling me?! Are you back? Are you staying? What’s going on?!” Jules was full of questions.

Gwen laughed, “Calm yourself, sister! I’m kinda sorta back for a visit. Or at least I hope to be, but I need you to do me a favor first.”

“Okay, what do you need?”

“I need you to go online and make sure Comicon is going on this weekend.”

Jules chuckled, “I don’t need to go online for that. Everyone’s talking about it on Twitter and Facebook. It’s definitely this weekend. But why? What does that have to do with anything?”

“This is going to sound crazy, but I’m going to try to sneak my friends into town as cosplayers.” She raised her eyebrows and waited for a response from Jules.

Jules was quiet for a moment, and then broke out into laughter, “That is brilliant! Oh my gosh everyone will be so happy to see you!”

“Yay! I’m excited too! And you’ll finally get to meet everyone!” Gwen had been smiling so much lately that her cheeks were starting to hurt. Excitement was an understatement.

Jules laughed again, “I’m still blown away that you got married! I never thought in a million years you’d ever do that!”

“I guess I just wasn’t cut out to marry a Terran.” She looked over at Yondu and smiled. He grinned back and winked.

“No doubt!” Jules chuckled, “Well alright! I’ll let mom know you’re coming! You _are_ planning on staying with her, right?”

“We might have to. It’s either that or stay on the ship in the clearing.”

“Nonsense. I’ll talk to her. She’ll suck it up and deal with it. I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see you! How soon will you be here?”

“We’re in orbit now, but we’re going to wait until nightfall to come down. So just keep an eye out for us! Love you, sis!”

“Love you!” Jules replied and they both hung up.

 

Yondu and Gwen were in their old room packing up overnight bags. Yondu had been awfully quiet the entire way, and Gwen was certain he was feeling anxious about the whole thing. He’d never admit it though. Gwen walked over to Yondu and stopped him. She stood in front of him and straightened his jacket. She laid her hands on his chest and smiled. “Remember, these people, they’re not your men. They’re my family; hell, they’re _your_ family now. Don’t shut them out, okay?”

Yondu sighed, “You’re askin’ a lot of me.”

“I know. You don’t know them. You don’t trust them. And I understand you’re going to be guarded with them. It’s to be expected. I just don’t want you putting up your captain’s walls and never letting them in.”

Yondu was not on board with the idea, but he didn’t want to upset her. If it was what she wanted, he would suck it up and fake a smile for the next four days. The only one in her family he even came close it possibly liking was Robbie, and that was only because he reminded him of Peter when he was a child. Well, that wasn’t true. Also because he was the only one who embraced Gwen when she was sent back to Terra. He comforted her and he listened to her stories. Maybe he could like the boy. But Yondu held a seething distaste for Gwen’s mother. He had no hopes that she would ever warm up to him or Gwen’s new way of life. Yondu forced a smile, “I’ll try to work on it.”

 

“Okay, are we ready?” Peter asked everyone. “Rocket, you sure you guys are okay with staying on the ship?”

“Oh yeah, I got some projects I can work on here and Groot and Drax will keep me company.”

“Drax? You’re not going?” Gwen asked with surprise.

“I apologize, Guinevere, but I have no interest in Terra. I am content to stay on the ship.” He nodded with a smile.

“Well… okay. Anyone else not going?” Gwen asked sarcastically.

Yondu opened his mouth to give her a smart ass remark, but Gwen stopped him quick, raising her finger at him, “Don’t even think about it, mister!”

“Well I’m going.” Gamora wrapped her arms around Peter’s waist. “I want to see what this place is all about.”

“Alright, let’s do this.” Peter smiled at Gamora and headed for the controls. “Rocket, turn on the scrambler.”

 

They reached the clearing well after sundown. The moon was new so there would be no shadow cast down from the ship. Peter opened the bay doors and they started walking out into the field.

Yondu stopped quick and held his arms out to push Gwen behind him. “Look.” They peered out into the field and saw two flashlights waving towards them.

Gwen panicked for a moment until she heard voices calling out her name. She recognized them immediately.

“Robbie?! Dylan?!” She smiled excitedly and ran after them. Robbie ran towards Gwen and jumped into her arms. Gwen hunched down and hugged him tight. “Oh my gosh you’ve gotten so big!”

“I’m nine now, Aunt Gwennie! Am I big enough to come with you guys now?!”

Gwen laughed, “I think you’ve got a few more years there, kiddo.” She hugged Dylan and introduced him to the group, though nobody could see much in the dark, empty field.

“Mom’s waiting for us all so we’d better head back. She’s got dinner cooking for everyone.” Dylan hesitated for a moment, looking at Gamora and Yondu, “Um… so do you guys eat human food or?”

Both Peter and Gwen laughed. “Depends if they like it or not,” Gwen chuckled, looking up at Yondu.

The six of them walked quickly back to the house. It took about half an hour to get back to the park. Robbie was full of questions for both Peter and Yondu, going back and forth between them. “So does your arrow have magic powers?” He asked excitedly.

Yondu grinned, “Not really. It’s a yakka arrow. It detects frequencies and vibrations from my fin that tells it where to go.”

“That’s so cool!” Robbie hopped from one step to the next. “Hey Peter! How old were you when you learned how to use a gun?”

“Um… I think I was ten. Right Yondu?”

“Yeah,” Yondu sighed. “I think that’s about the time I decided I was gonna keep ya.”

“So Yondu, you’re like Peter’s dad?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Yondu raised an eyebrow.

“But Gwen, Peter’s like a brother to you. So wouldn’t that make Yondu like a dad to you too?”

“Robert Everett!” Dylan snapped at his son. Gwen, Yondu, Peter and Gamora all laughed at the boy.

“It doesn’t really work that way, Robbie.” Gwen giggled at her nephew. “I’ve already got a dad anyway, and a good one at that.”

Robbie sighed and rolled his eyes animatedly “You adults are too confusing.”

 

They finally reached the house. Everyone walked in and was met with smiles and hugs from Gwen’s parents, Jacob and Marianna, and her sister Julienne.

Once they were in the bright light of the house, everyone could clearly see how different Gamora and Yondu were. Robbie looked up at Yondu wide eyed, “Wow! You really are blue! Like… a bright blue!”

All of the adults laughed, even Yondu chuckled a bit.

Marianna saw her daughter and gasped as she held her hands to her mouth, “Oh Gwen, what happened to your hair?” She ran over and hugged her daughter.

“Oh just a mishap with a sharp object.” She waved her mother off. “No biggie.”

“Oh, well, we’ll go this weekend and get that fixed right up for you.” She smiled.

A knot grew in Gwen’s stomach. She didn’t want to deal with it. She was perfectly content forgetting it was there. But her mother was just as stubborn, if not more so, than Yondu. So she chose not to argue.

Marianna smiled shyly at Yondu, “It’s good to see you again, mister…?” She couldn’t remember his last name.

Yondu gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. He smiled tightly at Marianna and held out his hand, “Udonta. _Captain_ Udonta.”

Slightly embarrassed, Marianna shook his hand and covered her face, “That’s right. I’m so sorry. Captain Udonta.” She shook Peter and Gamora’s hands and ushered everyone into the dining room. “Well, I hope you all like lasagna. Oh, but if not we can figure something out.” She immediately questioned her choice for the night’s menu.

Gwen waved her mother off again, “It’s fine, mom. They’ll love it, I’m sure.”

Peter beamed wide eyed, “Lasagna?! Hell yeah! I haven’t had lasagna in three decades!” He threw his coat off and tossed it on the couch and ran to the dining room. Everyone laughed and followed after him.

The first half of the meal was met with awkward silence until Jacob finally spoke up. “So, Yondu, how’d you and Gwen meet?” he asked.

Jules choked on her wine. “Dad! You know how they met.”

“I know _how_ they met. I just wanna know the details. So tell us.”

Dylan chuckled and shook his head at Yondu, “Sorry man, you’re the fresh meat now.”

Yondu appraised Jacob before answering, “I saw her run onto the ship before we took off.”

“And what did you think of my daughter when you first saw her?” Jacob continued testing him.

“Oh Jacob, please.” Marianna scolded, but Jacob just held up his hand to quiet her.

Yondu looked over at Jacob, “I thought a ship was no place for a little Terran girl and I scolded Peter for bringin’ her on. I’d have thrown her off myself if it had been up to me.” He took another bite, looking down at his plate. Gwen watched him somberly. She had forgotten how much Yondu disliked her in the beginning. Then again, he disliked everyone he first met.

Jacob eyed Yondu curiously, “And now?”

Yondu looked at Gwen and smiled, “Well, let’s just say I’m glad it wasn’t up to me.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow and nodded, “Good answer.”

 

After dinner, everyone went into the living room to see the pictures and watch the videos Gwen had recorded. She showed them all of the silly pictures she took on Peter’s ship, and then the videos she took around the Eclector.

Gwen held the selfie cam up to herself while she wandered around the ship, “Okay everybody! This is my home! This is Yondu’s ship. It’s called the Eclector. And _this_ is the ship dock!” She waved to the ships behind her, “This is where all of Yondu’s m-class ships are stored until they’re needed. And that one right there” she pointed to a ship straight back, “Is Yondu’s ship!”

“Wooooow!” Robbie gawked at the video. He whipped around and looked back at Yondu, “You’re like a _real_ Captain!”

Gwen giggled, snuggling into Yondu’s side, “I told you!”

“And you’re my uncle!”

“Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?” Peter scoffed, “I’m a captain too!”

Gamora patted Peter on the leg, “Oh Honey, it’s not the same.” She teased.

“You’re from Xandar, right Gamora?” Robbie asked her.

“I was originally, but I haven’t lived there in a very long time.”

“You like it there?”

Gamora smiled, “It’s gorgeous.”

“I wanna see it some day!”

“Maybe when you’re much older.” Gwen eyeballed him sternly.

“Yeah, we got into a lot of trouble for takin’ your aunt off the planet.” Peter added “They’d have a fit with you.”

 

After the videos, everyone got settled into their rooms. Gwen and Yondu slept in her old room, and Peter and Gamora slept in Julienne’s old room. Jules, Dylan and Robbie had gone home for the night. Gwen got dressed in a silky pink pajama tank and shorts set. Yondu walked up and caressed the material over her breasts. “Hmmm… I guess if you gotta wear clothes to bed, these are the kind to wear.” He grinned.

Gwen wrapped her arms around Yondu and kissed his neck, “Think you can rock my body quietly?”

Yondu raised an eyebrow at Gwen, “Can _you_?” He teased.

“I can sure as hell try.” She giggled.

 

Gwen passed out in Yondu’s arms after they made love. But Yondu couldn’t fall asleep. Either the bed was too soft, the room was too quiet or too hot, or he just didn’t like sleeping with clothes on. Whatever it was, his mind wouldn’t shut off. Yondu slipped out from underneath Gwen and walked out into the living room wearing only a pair of sweatpants. When he got to the end of the hallway, he noticed that the TV was still on. It was playing a video that Gwen had taken. He and Gwen were playing in their bed as she was interviewing him. She had the camera trained on Yondu while he rubbed her feet. Yondu glanced over to the couch and saw Marianna sitting there, tears streaming down her face. Yondu had forgotten she made that video. He gulped hard, listening to the conversation they had had just a few weeks ago.

“How long have you been the Captain of your own ship?”

“Hmm… bout thirty-five years, I guess.”

“How long have you been a Ravager?”  
“Forty years or so.”

“You like it?”

“Well I have my own ship, don’t I?”’

“Lots of people have jobs they hate.”

“Not me.”

“You glad you married me?”

Yondu let out a mock huff, “Course not. Who wants to have sex every day? It’s just nonsense.”

Gwen playfully pushed her foot into his chest. He laughed and grabbed the back of her knee. She squealed and dropped the camera. The video changed. Gwen was down in the engine room interviewing Eugene, Obo and Kraglin.

Yondu cleared his throat and walked out into the living room. Marianna startled and turned to Yondu, “Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be watching this.” She grabbed the remote to turn it off.

“No, please.” Yondu walked over to sit down in the chair next to the couch. “She made those for you.” They watched as Gwen hugged Kraglin and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush. Yondu chuckled. “He’d be shakin’ in his boots if he knew I saw this.”

“Are there really no other women on the ship?” Marianna asked, shutting off the video.

“Only when Gamora is with us. Which ain’t often.”

“Has anyone on your ship ever tried to hurt her?” her voice was full of concern.

Yondu nodded. “Once.”

“What happened?”

Yondu watched her carefully, “I killed him.” he said flatly, without hesitation.

Marianna looked at Yondu nervously.

He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Mrs. Lawrence, I don’t mess around with your daughter’s safety.”

“Neither do I.” She said sternly.

“Difference between you and me is, I ain’t gonna sacrifice her happiness for her safety. I won’t go against her wishes. I warned her straight up what could happen on my ship. I tried to convince her to stay with Peter. But she made her decision, and I wasn’t gonna refuse her.”

Marianna gave Yondu a helpless look, “You must think I’m a horrible person.”

Yondu looked down and shook his head, “No. I don’t. How could I?” He gestured to the bedroom where Gwen slept, “You raised the most amazing woman I ever met. Gotta count for somethin’.”

Marianna smiled and then looked at Yondu seriously again, “How old _are_ you?”

“Probably older than you.” Again, no hesitation.

“And that doesn’t concern you?”

“Should it? She’s thirty eight, not thirteen.”

“You’re not concerned that you’ll die well before her, leaving her alone in space?” She demanded.

Yondu chuckled again, “I could be ten years younger than her and still die tomorrow. But if you’re worried about me dying of _old age_ before her, I’d most likely outlive her.”

“What?” Marianna stared at him with a shocked expression.

“My specie’s lifespan is one hundred and twenty-five of your Terran years. I’m only halfway there.”

“Oh, I had no idea.” She looked down thoughtfully.

Yondu clasped his hands together, “Yeah well, Gwen don’t either. And I’d appreciate if you said nothin’ about it.”

“Okay, but why?”

“That’s a conversation better left for privacy.”

Marianna nodded, “I understand.”

“It’s probably a pointless worry anyway. More’n likely space will take me first.” He leaned back in the chair.

“I don’t understand your flippant views of death,” Marianna sighed, “but the conversation is depressing me. Can we change the subject?”

“Sure, what you wanna know?”

“I used to dream of Gwen’s wedding day. To see my baby walk down the isle. Tell me, what was it like?”

Yondu cleared his throat, “I’m ashamed to say it was neither romantic nor elaborate. We got married, very quickly, in an attempt to keep the Nova Corps off our backs. Gwen wasn’t supposed to be off Terra in the first place. Bein’ married to a non-terran increased her likelihood that they wouldn’t force her to go back. But in the end it didn’t matter. The Kree forced Nova Corps hand.”

“So you wouldn’t have married my daughter if she hadn’t been in trouble?” she asked defensively.

“Now I didn’t say that,” he countered. “Just never came up. Neither of us had thought about it before. I don’t know if we would have ever gotten married or not. But I can tell ya, there’s nothing you could do to keep me from her now.”

“So you two had just gotten married before she was sent back?”

“Yep.” He replied short and sweet. Yondu waited for that bit of information to sink in.

“Oh my…” Marianna’s face contorted in anguish and a tear fell down her cheek. “And I kept telling her she needed to move on.”

Yondu scoffed, “Yeah.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Yondu scowled. He wasn’t going to let her wiggle her way out of her part in what happened. “No, you didn’t _want_ to know. You didn’t want her truth to be real. So you made up your own truth. It was easier to believe she was crazy.”

Marianna stared off at the wall in disbelief, “I… yeah… you’re right.”

“He usually is, unfortunately.” Gwen came out from the hallway.

Marianna stood up and walked over to her daughter, “I am so sorry, honey! For everything!” She hugged Gwen tight and cried on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Mom.” She hugged her mother back, “I’m sorry I was such a butt.”

Marianna pulled back and scoffed, “You had every right to be a butt. I was being an ass!” The ladies laughed and Marianna sat back down on the couch.

Gwen crawled up into Yondu’s lap, resting her head on his shoulder, “How long have you two been talking about me.”

“Not long enough. I was just about to ask your mom to gimme some good stories.”

Gwen stood up and took Yondu’s hand, pulling him out of the chair, “Aaand goodnight, Mom.” Yondu chuckled and followed Gwen back to the bedroom.

“Goodnight, honey.” Marianna laughed. She shut off the light and went to bed herself.


	3. Talk Nerdy to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songs in this chapter:
> 
> Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor  
> Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice  
> James Arthur - Say You Won't Let Go

Gwen awoke the next morning to Yondu kissing her breasts and sliding his hand up underneath her shorts, between her legs. She looked down at her husband and grinned, “Well this is a switch.” She held his face with her hand and smoothed her thumb over his scars. “It’s usually me waking you up.”

“Couldn’t wait.” He said in between kisses.

Gwen giggled, “What’s gotten into you, Captain?”

“Don’t rightly know,” he moved his mouth up to her neck.

“Well let’s enjoy it while it lasts.” She pulled his face to hers and kissed him as he climbed on top of her.

 

When Gwen and Yondu finally left the bedroom, they found Peter and Gamora in the kitchen helping Marianna make breakfast.

Peter saw Yondu dressed in nothing but sweatpants and chuckled loudly, “Who the hell are you and what have you done with Yondu?”

Yondu sat on a barstool at the counter and eyed Peter tossing a piece of fruit into his mouth, “Shut it, boy. I still know how to pin you.”

“Enough boys,” Gamora chided. “We’re guests here. Let’s be civil for once.”

“So they do this often?” Marianna smirked.

Gwen pulled the orange juice out of the fridge and rolled her eyes, “Oh you have no idea.”

Yondu grinned and winked at Gwen.

“So what do you all have planned for today?” Marianna asked casually.

“I’m taking these hooligans to Comicon today.” Gwen said decisively.

Marianna’s brow furrowed, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“There’s going to be full grown men dressed as furry dragons. These guys will be nothing in comparison.”

“So what exactly do you _do_ at a Comic… con thing.” Yondu asked. “Everybody just walks around in costumes and chitchats?”

Gwen laughed, “No. The place will be full of actors and sci-fi stars. You can get autographs, take pictures, sit in on panels where they talk about their favorite shows. There’s tons of merchandise to buy and of course, comic books galore.”

“Wait.” Peter stopped her, “what kind of sci-fi stars?”

“Oh I don’t know who’s here this year, but in the past I’ve seen Stan Lee-“

Peter immediately cut her off excitedly “Stan the _Man_ Lee?! He’s still alive?!”

Gwen laughed, “Yeah, of course. Um… who else would you know? Oh! And William Shatner.”

“Captain Kirk?! _The_ Captain Kirk?! Oh man! I’ve just died and gone to 8 year old me’s heaven! Who else?!”

Gwen laughed again and shook her head. “Let me go check who’s here this year.” She ran to her room to get her phone. She pulled up the website and flipped through to the guest names. “Okay, let’s see. William Shatner will be there.” She scrolled passed the names he wouldn’t recognize. “Oh! Mark Hammill!”

“Luke Skywalker?!”

Gwen nodded, “Yup! Wow, there’s a lot you don’t know about yet. All the new Star Wars movies. All the new Star Trek shows and movies. The new MCU. DCCU. The Wizarding World. You’re going to poop your pants today, little brother.” She giggled flipping through the website.

Peter raised his arms in the air, “Don’t care! I’ll bring an extra pair! I’m going to get dressed!” And with that he ran off to his room.

Both Yondu and Gamora looked at each other with confusion and concern before they both laughed.

“Here, I’ll do that Mom.” Gwen took over stirring the eggs.

Marianna wiped her hands on her towel and shook her head, “If that boy has a heart attack today, it’s on you, Dear.”

“I know. He’s going to have so much fun!” She squeaked.

 

After breakfast, everyone had gotten dressed. Gwen even wore her Ravager uniform to fit in with the group. Jules came by to give them all a ride to the convention grounds.

“Where’s that Robbie kid?” Yondu asked Julienne.

“Oh he’s at school.”

“What about Dylan?” Gwen asked.

“Work. He wanted to come with but he’s saving his vacation time for Disneyland. So do you guys need money? How are you paying for all of this.”

Gwen stared Yondu down, “Yondu apparently had a stash of cash hidden for a rainy day.”

“How did you get American money?” She asked him, baffled.

“I’m a pirate. It’s kinda my thing.” He gave her a muddled look.

“Alrighty then!” Jules smirked. “Let’s head out!”

They all walked out the front door to pile into Jules’ SUV.

“Can I drive, Jello! Please! I miss driving!” Gwen begged.

“Are you sure you want to? This is Cali, after all.” Jules’ warned.

“Yes!” She took the keys from Jules and hopped in the driver’s seat. “Yondu gets shotgun!”

Yondu looked at her through the window, confused. “I thought we couldn’t bring weapons.”

Both Jules and Gwen laughed hysterically, which only annoyed Yondu.

Gwen waved Yondu into the car after she had calmed down a bit. “I’m sorry, babe. That was my fault. I meant I want you to sit up front with me.”

“Oh,” He looked down at the door handle, “How do I open this thing?”

“Just pull on it.” She said with a grin.

He pulled and opened the door and climbed in, making sure not to hit his fin on the roof.

Gwen sat there staring at him, “Seatbelt, babe.”

“What?” Yondu was starting to get frustrated with his lack of Terran knowledge.

Gwen leaned over and kissed Yondu, pulling his seatbelt in front of him and snapping it into place.

“Oh, how fast does this thing go?” He looked at the belt curiously.

“Well it’s not a five-point harness, so not quite as fast as an M-ship.” She giggled.

They backed out of the driveway and down the street. Yondu watched Gwen driving the Terran vehicle and smiled, “You know, I could teach you to fly an M-ship, if you wanted?”

“Really?” Gwen beamed.

“Yeah, who do you think taught me?” Peter added.

“What’s an m-ship?” Jules asked nobody in particular.

Yondu looked back at Jules, “It’s a fighter ship.”

“My ship is an M-class ship. Kinda like a fighter jet, but it goes out into space and has bedrooms. You guys should come take a look before you leave.” Peter smiled.

“Wow! Yeah, that sounds like fun!” Jules smiled. “Oh hey, can you stop at the Circle K? I need to take some cash out and I want to get a drink.”

“Yeah.” Gwen pulled into the parking lot and got out with Jules. “I’m gonna get some drinks. You guys want anything?”

Yondu took his seatbelt off and got out of the car, “Yeah, I wanna check this place out.” He looked up at the building.

Gwen grinned, “Okay.”

Everyone else got out also and went in. Gwen, Gamora and Peter all looked around curiously at the items in the store.

Yondu picked up a Hostess Sno Ball and turned it over in his hand, squishing it and sneering at it in disgust. “People eat this stuff?”

“Oh damn! Sno Balls!” Peter snatched it out of Yondu’s hand and ran off.

“I guess so.” Yondu shook his head. He walked over and watched Gwen pour a brown liquid into a cup of ice. “Why is it bubbling?! What’s wrong with it?”

Gwen giggled, “Nothing. It’s soda. It’s carbonated… on purpose.” She teased him.

Peter shouted across the store, “A dollar fifty for a fountain drink?! What the ever loving hell has happened to this country?!”

“You should see how much a pack of gum costs!” Gwen yelled back. A few moments later she heard Peter scream and she laughed.

They finally went up to the counter to pay for their spoils. The clerk looked at the group of strange people and gave them a worried expression.

Gwen smiled at him sheepishly. “Comicon,” She said matter-of-factly.

The clerk’s eyes widened and a smile crossed his face. “Oh yeah! I heard William Shatner’s gonna be there.” He nodded.

“Yes. Well, thank you!” Gwen paid the man and everyone headed back to the car.

They all piled back in and stared at each other, and then they all broke into laughter.

Jules shook her head, “I can’t believe that worked. Gwen you are a genius.”

Gwen started the car and grinned, “I have my moments.”

Peter opened his Sno ball and took a big bite with a delighted moan, “Oh my gods. Oh, how I’ve missed you.”

Yondu looked back and grabbed the package out of his hand, “Gimme that.” He pulled off a piece and popped it in his mouth. His face contorted in disgust and he spit it out the window. He looked at Gwen with a smirk, “And you worried about _my_ protein bars?” He handed the sugary thing back to Peter.

Gwen laughed at Yondu’s reaction. “Here, try this.” She handed him the Dr. Pepper she got for herself.

He took a pull from the straw and immediately spit that out the window too. “Are you _tryin’_ to kill me?”

Gwen laughed again and took the drink back. She took a hard pull on it and rolled her eyes back. “Oh sweet Dr. Pepper, how I’ve missed you.”

Yondu shook his head and laughed.

 

They finally reached the convention center. Gwen pulled over to the side and hopped out, handing the keys back to her sister and giving her a hug, “Thank you so much Jello!”

“No problem Gwennie. I’ll see you guys about five o’clock unless you call me before then!”

Everyone thanked Jules and then she took off.

“Well, this is it.” Gwen held her hands out to gesture towards the complex. There were people walking around in costumes, people in makeup, people dressed normally, all chatting and laughing as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

Yondu looked around, baffled, “You were right. We’re probably the most normal people here.” Yondu chuckled.

They walked in and got their badges. As soon as they entered the convention, they were met with a sea of weirdness they had never seen on any other planet. Gwen grabbed a booklet and started reading the schedule for the day. “Let’s go check out the booths. See if there are any comics you want to buy, Peter.”

“Sounds good!”

They walked around the grounds checking out all of the merchandise and becoming inundated with the newest trends of modern Earth. They learned all about Harry Potter, and even Gwen got caught up with some new thing called Fantastic Beasts with Newt Scamander. Peter familiarized himself with the newest Star Wars and Star Trek crazes and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

At few times, kids stopped them to ask who they were. They didn’t lie because they didn’t have to. Everyone just assumed they were in character the whole time. Many people found their stories to be fascinating and often asked for pictures. Yondu wasn’t keen on the idea but he went along with it anyway. Yondu was more guarded around the large group of Terrans. His previous jovialness had faded and he found himself sweeping the floors with his eyes, reflexively looking out for trouble.

“You doing okay?” Gwen asked, putting her hand on his arm.

“Yup,” he said curtly, still sweeping.

“Okay. Let me know if it gets to be too much. We can always leave.”

Yondu pulled his eyes away from the crowd and looked back at his wife. “I’m alright. I promise.” He gave her a small smile.

Peter was looking through the booklet and found something he liked, “Gwen! Look! They’re doing a dance club thing in half an hour! Can we go?!”

“It’s fine with me if it’s fine with everyone else.”

Both Gamora and Yondu agreed, so they took off to the ballroom. The room was decked out like a high school prom with strobe lights, streamers and a mirror ball in the middle of the room. There was even a stage and a DJ booth ready. Yondu found a chair in the corner and sat down.

Gwen walked over to him and straddled his lap, “You’re not gonna dance with me?” She stuck out her bottom lip and pouted, pulling on his jacket.

Yondu rubbed her arms and smiled, “Maybe later. I just need a minute.” He kissed her forehead.

“Okay,” she huffed.

As the room started to fill, Gwen noted Yondu started looking around the room again. He wasn’t used to being around this many people, especially Terrans. Gwen saw a group of Storm Troopers walk in and raise their arms into the air. Everyone cheered. “Oooooh, this is gonna be fun.” Gwen giggled.

Yondu patted her arm, “Go, have fun. Just don’t go too far. I wanna watch.” He winked.

“Yes sir.” She grinned at him and walked over to meet Peter and Gamora. They chatted until the DJ jumped up onto the stage and everyone cheered. Yondu continued to sweep the room cautiously.

 

“Alright! Everybody ready to get this party started?!” The DJ shouted and everyone cheered again. “Let’s do this!” More cheering from the crowd. Yondu watched as they all pumped their fists into the air and began dancing to the music.

 

_I bet that you look good on the dancefloor_

_I don’t know if you’re lookin’ for romance or_

_I don’t know what you’re lookin for_

_I said I bet that  you look good on the dancefloor_

_Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984_

_Well from 1984_

 

Yondu stopped watching the crowd as soon as he saw Gwen dancing. He had never seen her dance with such enthusiasm before. It was mesmerizing. Her hands swaying in the air, her hips swinging side to side, tossing her hair left to right, and the smile on her face was electric. He was glad that she had come back, and he couldn’t deny that he was glad that she insisted he come with. She was so at ease without her worries, and it rubbed off on him quite a bit. Peter and Gamora were dancing also, with smiles on their faces.

The song changed and Gwen caught Yondu watching her. She smiled at him and started dancing seductively, urging him out onto the dancefloor.

 

_Don’t be shocked by the tone of my voice_

_Check out my new weapon, weapon of choice_

_Don’t be shocked by the tone of my voice_

_It’s the new weapon, weapon of choice_

 

He grinned back and shook his head, pointing to his eyes and then to her, indicating he just wanted to watch. Gwen shrugged her shoulders and turned around, swaying her backside at him. The grin on his face grew wider. She slowly danced over to Yondu and stood right in front of him, giving him a show like the one she had the first night they kissed. Only this time, when he reached to pull her into his lap, she smacked his hand away playfully. Yondu laughed.

The DJ then played a slow song. Gwen turned around and leaned into Yondu. “Come dance with me, husband,” she whispered into his ear. Finally, Yondu stood up and let Gwen lead him to the floor. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. He put his around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss.

 

_I knew I loved you then_

_But you’d never know_

_Cause I played it cool_

_When I was scared of letting go_

_I knew I needed you_

_But I never showed_

_But I wanna stay with you_

_Until we’re gray and old_

_Just say you won’t let go_

_Just say you won’t let go_

 

They swayed back and forth with Gwen nuzzled into Yondu’s neck. She loved the smell of him, and the warmth of his skin on hers. She melted whenever he pulled her tight to himself, and she adored every kiss he left on her body. She never wanted to let go.

The song faded out and changed again. Peter came over and announced that he was hungry so they all decided to go get something to eat.

 

The four of them sat at a table in the cafeteria. Everyone else had finished eating while Peter was on his fourth slice of pizza. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed this.” He said again, stuffing his face.

“I think we’ve gotten the hint.” Gwen chuckled. She took a pull of her lemonade and then shook the cup. “I’m going to get a refill.”

Gwen was headed to the soda fountain when someone called out her name.

“Gwen? Gwen Lawrence, is that you?” A man dressed as Deadpool asked her.

Gwen looked at him slightly confused, “Deadpool?”

“Huh? Oh! Right.” He pulled off the mask. He was a tall man with shaggy brown hair and goatee, smiling widely at her.

“Ben?” Gwen smiled sheepishly. She looked over at the table and saw Yondu watching her cautiously.

“It’s so good to see you!” Ben hugged Gwen without warning, causing Gwen’s eyes to widen and Yondu to tense. She looked over at him and shook her head slightly, letting him know she was okay. Gwen hugged him back, but guardedly. He pulled away and looked her up and down, “So you still come to these, too, huh? And look, you’re even in costume this time!”

Gwen chuckled to herself, “Yeah… I guess so.”

“So what have you been up to?” he asked her casually.

“Um, well, I’ve had a career change. Been traveling. Just kinda living for the moment, I guess.”

Ben gave her a peculiar look and grinned, “Wow, that’s… so not like you.”

“Yeah, I know. But it’s been really fun.” She nodded back.

Ben hesitated and scratched the back of his head, “So, what would you think about going out again some time? I guess I’ve kinda missed you since we broke up and-.”

Gwen tensed and looked over at Yondu who was sitting with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face, entertained by her nervousness. “Actually Ben, I’m sorry I should have mentioned sooner, I’m married now.” She gave him a bashful smile.

“What? Married? You?” He looked at her confused.

“Yup.” She held up her hand to show her ring. “That’s my husband over there.” She turned and pointed at Yondu, who nodded with the smirk still planted firmly on his face.

“Oh. He’s… kind of… a big guy.” Ben gulped nervously.

Gwen beamed at Yondu with pride, “Yeah I guess so.”

“Wow, I honestly never thought you’d ever get married. When you turned me down, I kind of thought you were against the whole institution.” Ben looked down, disappointed.

Gwen put her hand on his arm, “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Ben. When you asked me, I was.”

Ben looked over at Yondu and back at Gwen, “Well, either way, it was good seeing you again, Gwen. Good luck with your new life.” He hugged her again and put his mask back on as he walked away.

Gwen filled her cup up and went back to sit down. “Well that was interesting.” She sighed.

“You mean hilarous,” Peter chuckled. “I thought that guy was gonna shit himself when he looked over at Yondu.”

Gamora tilted her head curiously with a grin, “Are all Terran interactions that awkward?”

“No,” Gwen said firmly, “Only when they’re with ex boyfriends.” She laughed. Gwen patted the table, “C’mon guys. Let’s go get an autograph for Peter.”

 

The group headed upstairs to the signing room. They waited in line for an hour to get a William Shatner autograph. Gamora leaned up again the wall and stared at the ceiling, “Peter, is this _really_ worth it? Standing in line forever just to get some guy to write his name on a picture?”

“Some guy?” Peter gave her a shocked expression, “William Shatner is not just _some guy_. He’s a legend. A lover of women who paved his own way through the galaxy.” He stared off, speaking reverently.

Gwen chuckled, “Alright, calm down there, fanboy.”

The line moved and they finally reached the table. Peter shook Shatner’s hand with exuberance. “Mr. Shatner it is an honor to meet you, sir. There’s someone I’d really like to meet you.” He pulled Yondu over to Shatner and the two men appraised each other cautiously.

Shatner held out his hand to Yondu, “Captain James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise, Starfleet.”

Yondu took his hand and shook it firmly. “Captain Yondu Udonta of the Eclector, Ravager.” Yondu replied.

Shatner looked Yondu up and down and then laughed agreeably, patting Yondu on the shoulder. Yondu grinned back and patted the actor’s shoulder.

“Alright, who am I making this out to?” Shatner asked.

Peter squeezed in between Yondu and the table, “Um, could you please make that out to Peter… oh, no, Star Lord! Yeah! Make it out to Star Lord, please! Thank you very much!”

Yondu walked over to Gwen and wrapped his arm around her, “So that’s your Captain Kirk, huh?”

“Yup. Peter’s right. He’s kind of a legend. A bit of a drama queen, but still a legend.” Gwen laughed.

 

Gwen called Jules after the meet and greet with Shatner. Everybody was exhausted by that point and ready to go home. They sat out on the street waiting for Jules, watching all of the cosplayers walking by and eating honey roasted almonds. Gwen named off everyone she could identify. “That’s Hermione Granger. There’s another Deadpool, Wolverine, Iron Man, I think that’s the guy from Halo.”

“Those are Storm Troopers, I know that.” Peter added, “And that’s Darth Vader, right?”

“Nope,” Gwen corrected him. “That’s Kylo Ren.”

“Who the hell is Kylo Ren?” Peter asked confused.

“Darth Vader’s grandson.”

“What?!” Peter looked shocked.

“I told you, you’ve missed a lot.” Gwen chuckled.

“Wait, so who are Kylo Ren’s parents?”

“Han Solo and Leia.”

“No shit?” Peter was stunned.

“Who are all these people, Gwen? Kylo Ren? Dark Vader? Han Solo?” Gamora asked, puzzled.

Gwen chuckled again, “It’s _Darth_ Vader, and they’re characters from the Star Wars series.”

“You guys sure have lots of tales about space.” Yondu shook his head.

“Well you would too if it were out of reach for you.” Gwen defended.

Yondu tilted his head, “Might gotta point there.”

Jules finally pulled up in her SUV, “Hey, you guys hungry?”

“Starving! I got shotgun!” Peter exclaimed as he hopped in the front seat.

Gwen, Yondu and Gamora climbed into the back.

“Mom and Dylan are making a roast for dinner. Even Robbie is helping.”

“Sounds awesome.” Gwen smiled, tucking herself into Yondu’s side. And then they were off.


	4. Hair Triggered

“We’re home!” Gwen yelled down the hall. The smell of pot roast filled the house.

Surprised, Yondu looked over at Gwen and smiled.

“What?” Gwen asked curiously.

“You just called this place home.” He said confidently.

Gwen thought for a minute. “Huh, I guess I did.” She smiled back.

Peter stretched and planted himself on the couch in front of the television. Gamora snuggled up beside him, asking him about the show that was playing. Gwen giggled at the bizarre sight.

“Oh good! I’m so glad you guys are back!” Marianna walked into the living room and hugged her daughter and then shockingly, Yondu. Both Gwen and Yondu looked at each other with disbelief. “I wanted to talk to you two about something.”

“Okay,” Gwen eyed her mother curiously. “What about?”

Marianna sat on the back of the couch and sighed. “Well, about your wedding.”

They looked at each other again, confused, “What about it?” Gwen asked.

“It’s what Yondu said last night. It’s been bothering me ever since.”

“What’d I say?” Yondu asked. He looked over and saw both Peter and Gamora pretending not to listen.

“You guys got married because you had to. Your wedding day was full of stress and tension. Not anything to be remembered fondly. So, I want you guys to have a wedding here… at the house with your family.”

Yondu faked a coughed and looked down at the floor, trying to act disinterested.

“Oh no, mom, really that’s not necessary. We’re already married. There’s no need-“

Marianna held up her hand, “I know there’s no need. But to be honest, this is a selfish request.”

“How so?”

Marianna took Gwen’s hands and smiled, “When you were a little girl, I used to dream of your wedding day. Just like with Jules. I wanted to see you in a beautiful gown, walking down the aisle with your father, smiling and happy. I had pretty much given up that idea when you hit thirty-five and made it pretty clear you had no interest in getting married.”

Gwen chuckled at her mother.

“And then you disappeared and six months later showed up out of the blue and said you had gotten married. And once I finally accepted that you were telling the truth, I spent the next four months with regret and guilt. Please, let me do this for you guys. It can be just a little backyard wedding, nothing fancy, but it will give you a wedding to look back on with happiness instead of grief.”

“Oh Mom.” Gwen smiled, “I really appreciate the offer but it’s really not nec-“

Yondu turned Gwen to him and spoke in a low tone, “Let her do this.”

“Are you sure?” Gwen eyed him, shocked.

Yondu nodded, “I’m sure. You both deserve it.”

Gwen turned back to her mother and smiled, shrugging her shoulders, “Okay. But, who’s going to officiate? And how are we going to plan it before we leave? We’re heading out Sunday night.”

“Well, I can.” Marianna pointed to herself “You don’t need an _official_ officiant. And we’ll go shopping tomorrow! You, me and Jules!” Marianna stood up to touch Gwen’s hair, “And we can get this fixed too, while we’re out.”

Gwen had a flashback to the Kree soldier grabbing for her hair. She snapped and grabbed her mother’s wrist. She reached up with her other hand to punch her in the face but Yondu caught her fist in his hand.   
“Gwen!” Yondu barked, getting Gwen’s attention.

Gwen saw her fist in Yondu’s hand, just inches from her mother’s stunned face. Gwen gasped and tried to explain, but she broke down in tears instead. “I’m so sorry!” She cried and ran out the front door.

“I’ll go get her.” Peter said as he jumped up over the back of the couch and ran out the door after Gwen.

Marianna held her wrist, shaking with fear, “What did I do?” She said with tears in her eyes.

“You did nothin’. Come on. We gotta talk.” Yondu held Marianna’s shoulders and took her to sit down on the couch.

“Dinner’s ready.” Dylan called from the kitchen.

“It’s going to have to wait.” Gamora yelled back, walking back towards the kitchen to help him and Robbie.

“You okay?” Yondu asked Marianna, sitting down next to her.

“Physically or emotionally?” Marianna retorted.

“Physically, we’ll work on the other in a minute.” Yondu countered.

“Yes, I’m okay. But what happened?”

Yondu let out a hard sigh, “A few months ago, my ship was ambushed. Gwen was attacked. He tried to drag her off by her hair, but she got away by chopping off her braid and making a run for it. She can’t deal with it ever since. Every time we land on another planet she says she’s gonna get it fixed, but she never does.”

“Oh my, dear...”

“Marianna, we came back cause Gwen ain’t been right in the head. She’d been having nightmares and flashbacks. This trip has already done good for her. I know you can help her with this. She just needs someone to hold her hand to deal with it. And who better than her own mom?”

Marianna looked at Yondu curiously, “Coming back here… this was your idea, wasn’t it?”

“I may have had a hand in it. You mad?”

Marianna smirked, “Not a bit. You did the right thing. Thank you.” She put her hand on top of Yondu’s.

He remember the first time Gwen reached for his hand. How he tensed and shrank from her touch. He couldn’t help but notice the juxtapose from then to now. Gwen’s mother touching him with as much care as Gwen had… and he didn’t even flinch. Yondu smiled and put his own hand on top of hers, “No, thank you.” He decided that maybe this mother-in-law business wasn’t so bad after all.

 

Gwen had run out of the house, across the street to the park. She walked quickly with her hand over her mouth in shock. She couldn’t believe she almost punched her own mother. What the hell was she thinking? She tried to catch her breath in between gasps of tears. How could she face her again after that? She might as well head back to the ship now and never show her face again.

“Gwen!” She heard someone yell after her. She turned around. It was Peter running after her. She turned forward again and kept walking, gasping and crying. “Gwen wait!”

“Go away Peter!” She cried.

“You have to tell her what happened.” He finally caught up to her. “She’s your mother. You don’t think she’ll forgive you?”

“I know she’ll forgive me. But I can’t forgive myself.” She wiped the tears from her face.

“Why not? Dude, Gwen, you’ve been through hell. A little residual bullshit is to be expected.”

“That’s my mother! I almost knocked out her teeth! You call that residual bullshit?! I call that dangerous! I can’t go back in there!”

“You’re here to deal with that bullshit! It’s bound to bubble up. Go back in there, apologize, and ask for help. If you don’t, she won’t be the last person you take a swing at.”

Gwen shook her head, tears still falling, “No, I can’t.”

Peter stopped Gwen and grabbed her shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes, “What happens when you have another nightmare and you reach for your dagger? What happens if Yondu doesn’t wake up before you snap again? You know if you ever hurt him you would never forgive yourself.”

Gwen froze at his words and realized how right he was. She broke down and fell into Peter, crying into his chest. Peter wrapped her in his arms and shushed her softly.

A man walking through the park was staring at Gwen and Peter curiously. Peter snapped at him, “Take a picture asshole, it’ll last longer.” The man quickly looked away and walked off.

 

Peter and Gwen walked back into the house. Gwen saw her mother sitting on the couch next to her husband and she broke down again. Marianna stood up and walked to her daughter with her arms out, “Oh, honey!”

Gwen hugged her mother tight, “I’m so sorry, Momma!”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, sweetheart. We’re gonna get through this, okay?”

Gwen nodded, her head still buried in her mother’s shoulder.

Marianna pulled away and smiled, “I’m going to go with you tomorrow morning and we’ll get your hair fixed, anyway you like. We’ll make it fun, not scary. Jules can even come with.”

Gwen nodded and wiped her tears, “I’d like that.”

 

Jules walked into the living room. “Okay, now that everyone is back, let’s eat before this roast gets cold.”

Gwen turned to Yondu, “I’m gonna go get cleaned up real quick. You guys go eat.”

He smiled at her and smoothed her cheek with his thumb, “Okay.” He kissed her and headed off to the dining room.

“Hey Uncle Yondu! Peter says you met Captain Kirk today?” Robbie asked with his usual excitement.

“Yup. Didn’t look much like a captain though.” He sat down across from Robbie.

“Who else did you see?” Robbie started filling his plate.

“Um… some guy called Deadpool, who hit on my wife.” Yondu replied with mock irritation.

“No way! Deadpool hit on Aunt Gwennie?!” He laughed.

Gamora jumped into the conversation, “Yeah, apparently he was an old boyfriend of Gwen’s? Some guy named Ben?”

Jules gasped and chuckled, “You guys saw Ben? Oh that had to be interesting!”

“Was that Ben Ronalds?” Jacob asked.

“I don’t know, he was tall with wavy brown hair and a beard.” Gamora replied.

Jules laughed, “Oh yeah, that’s him alright. He used to be over the moon for Gwen.”

“Well he must still be, because after only a minute he was asking her out again.” Peter snickered.

“That poor guy was like a lost puppy with Gwen.” Jacob added. “I felt bad for him when she broke up with him. She never stayed with any guy for long.”

“Who never stayed with any guy for long?” Gwen asked as she walked into the dining room.

Marianna raised an eyebrow at Gwen and grinned, “You, dear.”

Gwen kissed Yondu and sat down at the table next to him, “You guys must be talking about Ben.”

Jules held up a finger, “You know, I find it funny that you dated, like, twenty guys for no more than three months at a time, and then you take off and you wind up marrying the first non-human male you run into.” Everybody laughed.

Gwen’s eyes lit up with a teasing defense, “That’s not true! Technically… I met Drax and Rocket first.”

“Hey Grandpa, can we watch Star Trek? You know, since Uncle Yondu met him and all?” Robbie asked.

“Sure that sounds like fun.” Jacob nodded

 

After dinner, everyone helped clean up the table and then settled into the living room to binge watch Star Trek. Gwen and Yondu snuggled on the couch next to Peter and Gamora. Marianna and Jacob relaxed in the love seat, Dylan lounged in the recliner and Jules and Robbie sprawled on the floor.

They had been watching for a while and quite a few had fallen asleep, until Scotty uttered his famous words… “Given them all we’ve got”.

“BHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!” Yondu broke out into a roaring laughter, which startled everyone and woke those that had been sleeping. Everyone turned to look at Yondu, trying to figure out why he was laughing so hard. Gwen buried her head into Yondu’s chest, trying to hide her reddened face and also trying to keep her own laughter down. Yondu shook his head with amusement.

Gwen held her hand over Yondu’s mouth, “I am so sorry guys,” She laughed in between breaths “it’s just an inside joke!”

“Yeah,” Peter started laughing himself, “must be a _really_ inside joke for as red as your face is turnin’.”

Jules choked back her own laughter and stood up, “Okay Robbie, Dylan, it’s time to head home now.”

The tv went off and everyone said goodbye to Jules, Dylan and Robbie. Gwen hugged her mother and apologized, again, for almost knocking her out. Marianna waved her off and told her not to fret about it anymore. Then Yondu and Gwen headed off to bed.

Yondu was still chuckling about the show as he stripped out of his clothes.

Gwen rolled her eyes and threw her shirt at him, “Oh come on, it wasn’t _that_ funny.”

“Given ‘em all we’ve got.” He snorted and shook his head. He grabbed Gwen around the waist and smiled at her. “You feelin’ better now?”

Gwen sighed, “Yeah, I guess so. Kinda nervous about tomorrow. I can’t even look at my hair without remembering everything that happened that day. How am I supposed to sit through an hour of someone touching it and cutting it?”

Yondu thought for a moment, “Hmm… how about a couple shots of Curati and a pair of headphones? Close your eyes, zone out and it’ll be over before you know it.”

Gwen raised her eyebrows thoughtfully, “That’s actually not a bad idea. Except we didn’t bring any Curati. I’ll have to settle for vodka.”

“What’s vodka?”

“A milder, Terran version of Curati.”

“Welp,” he smacked her on the butt, “whatever works, babe.”

Gwen wrapped her arms around Yondu and gave him that come-hither grin, “So, you ready to give _me_ all you got, Captain?”

He kissed her lips and then nuzzled his mouth into her neck, “And then some, baby girl.”


	5. Ladies' Day Out

The next morning, Gwen dressed in a pair of jeans and t-shirt. She ate breakfast and nervously waited for Jules to show up. They wanted Gamora to come along but she insisted that they had used up the cosplayer excuse. She promised them that she would be fine staying at the house with the boys for the afternoon. She’d even try to keep them in line while the girls shopped.

Jules finally arrived and, before they left, Gwen took three shots of vodka, for good measure. She kissed her husband and took off with her mom and her sister for an entire afternoon out acting like a fairly normal Terran girl.

Their first stop was the salon. Gwen chewed on her lip nervously while they waited for a stylist.

Marianna rubbed Gwen’s back, “It’s going to be alright. You can do this. Just three ladies on a mom and daughter date, going to get their hair done.”

Gwen nodded anxiously, “That’s what I keep telling myself.”

Jules looked at her sister and smiled, “Hey Gwennie, are you just getting it cut or do you want to add some color, too?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought about it.” The idea of dying her hair piqued her interest.

Jules smirked, “What would you think about blue tips?”

Gwen’s eyes went wide, “Shut… up! Oh my gosh Yondu would freak! Let’s do it!”

A woman approached the counter and smiled at the girls, “Hi ladies! What can we do for you today?”

Marianna walked up to the counter, “My daughter had a mishap with a… a sharp object. We need to get her hair cleaned up and she would also like some blue tips added. Think you could work us in?”

“Sure, we can get you started right now. Come on over.” She gestured the ladies to follow her into the back and sat Gwen at a table.

Gwen saw her reflection in the mirror and immediately closed her eyes.

“Is she okay?” The stylist asked curiously.

“Um… no not really.” Marianna said as she put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “It was a very traumatic incident and she can’t stand looking at herself now.”

“I’m just going to put my headphones on now. You guys do whatever you think would look good and I’m just going to meditate for the next hour.” She plugged her headphones into her ears and grabbed her mother’s hand, squeezing it tight.

“Oh dear. Okay well what are we going to do with this… um… wow.” She pulled Gwen’s hair in all different directions, looking at the underside.

“Whatever you do, see if you can keep it long enough for her to pull it back into a ponytail.” Marianna added. “I was thinking longer in the front, shorter in the back?”

“Yeah I think we can do that. And the color, what kind of blue?”

Jules jumped into the conversation, “There’s a specific color we’re looking for.” Jules held up Gwen’s left hand to show her wedding ring with the blue stone setting. “Do you think you can do this?”

The stylist held Gwen’s hand up to her face, “Oh this is gorgeous. Yeah, we can definitely do this.”

 

Two hours later, Gwen was still tipsy enough that she was having a hard time keeping her head up. Her sister tapped her on the shoulder and pulled an earbud out of her ear. “Okay Gwennie, it’s done! You can look now!”

“I’m afraid to.” Gwen frumped.

“Gwen, you’re going to have to open your eyes sometime.” Jules huffed.

Gwen sighed and slowly peeked through her eyelids. She gasped, opening her eyes wider and leaning into the mirror to gaze at her new hair. “Oh my gosh,” She whispered to herself.

“I know, right?!” Jules squeaked.

Gwen touched her hair and turned her head side to side. It was still about shoulder length, a little bit longer in the front, and the bottom half of her hair was a bright blue, the same as her husband’s skin. She flipped it from side to side, looking at it from every possible angle. She beamed a bright smile, “It’s perfect!” Gwen looked up at her mother, holding back the tears, “Thank you.”

“Oh honey, you’re so welcome,” She hugged her daughter warmly. “I’m glad you like it.”

Jules clapped her hands excitedly, “Now it’s time to go dress shopping!”

The girls left the salon. Marianna gave the stylist a fat tip for dealing with a ‘hair’ triggered girl with PTSD.

 

Their next stop was a bridal shop. They walked in and, instead of going straight to the bride section, Gwen went for the bridesmaids section.

“Gwen, where are you going?” Jules asked her.

Gwen started flipping through the bridesmaids dresses, “I don’t want a wedding gown. It’s too much for me. I want something simpler. Maybe with a bit of color.”

“Lemme guess, blue?” Jules snickered.

“Yes, smart ass.” Gwen snarked back. “It’s my favorite color.”

Marianna started searching the gowns also. “Your favorite color used to be purple.”

“Well if Yondu’s skin was purple, it still would be.” She flipped through another rack of dresses, still not finding what she wanted.

“Well I don’t blame her,” Jules added, “If I got to stare at that man’s bare chest every night, I’d be singing a new tune, too!”

Gwen’s cheeks went pink, “Julienne Paige! When have you ever seen his chest?”

“I may have accidentally peeked when he was walking from the shower to the bedroom last night after dinner.”

“Oh my gosh!” Gwen laughed.

“I’m serious, mom. Have you _seen_ that man’s muscles? He could give a lot of human men a run for their money.” Jules found a simple blue gown and held it up, “How ‘bout this one, Gwen?”

Gwen wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Jules put the dress back.

Marianna cleared her throat, “Oh yeah, we had a long talk the other night while he was wearing only a pair of sweatpants. Let’s just say that man is lucky I’m an old married woman or I may not have been able to concentrate on the conversation.” She shook her head laughing.

“Mother! That’s my husband,” Gwen teased again. She stopped and realized what her mother had just said, “Wait a minute. You had a long talk with Yondu?” She stopped flipping through dresses.

“Oh yes. He’s the one who made me realize how stupid I was being last December.” She walked by to go to another rack and patted Gwen on the shoulder, “I gotta tell you Gwennie, you got a keeper there.”

Gwen beamed proudly and continued looking through dresses. She stopped and her eyes went wide. “You guys, I think I just found it.” She grinned excitedly.

The dress was black, with one shoulder strap. It graduated to a deep blue at the bottom and had rhinestones on the strap and at the waist. The back had three straps that wrapped around from the side to the shoulder and converged into one. The bottom was three layers of chiffon that draped in an A-line. It matched her hair perfectly.

Their next stop was to order a cake and then buy food for the party and then on their way home they picked up some flowers.

 

The boys were just finishing up Return of the Jedi when the girls all walked in.

“Hey, how’d you ladies make out with the shopping?” Jacob asked.

“We did good!” Marianna smiled, shutting the door behind them. “Got a dress for Gwen and check out her hair!”

“Looks great, Gwen!” Peter smiled from the couch.

Yondu stood up and stared at his wife, his mouth half gaped open.

Gwen played with her hair nervously, “You like it?”

A smile crept up on one side of Yondu’s mouth and he nodded absentmindedly, “Um, oh yeah. I like it.”

Gwen blushed.

“So where’s the dress? Can we see it?” Gamora asked excitedly.

“You can, but he can’t.” Jules said, pointing to Yondu.

“Why not?” Yondu frowned.

“It goes against tradition, dear.” Marianna added, “It’s considered bad luck.”

Gwen rolled her eyes, “Oh mom, we’re already married.”

“Don’t care. We’re going to do this by American customs.” She pointed at Gwen, “And that means no seeing the groom before the wedding tomorrow, either.”

Gwen threw her head back and grumbled animatedly, “So not fair!”

“Oh! Wait!” Jules ran off to her car and quickly came back with a silver bracelet. “I forgot I grabbed this before I left the house this morning. Here Gwen, I want you to borrow this. It’s the bracelet mom gave me when I got married. And since it was hers before we were born, that makes it both borrowed and old.” Jules smiled.

“Awe, thanks sis!” Gwen hugged her sister.

“Why does it have to be borrowed and old?” Gamora asked.

Gwen rolled her eyes, “Another _tradition_. The saying goes, when a woman gets married, she has to have something old, something new, something borrowed, something…” she didn’t finish. Gwen and the rest of the Terrans in the room all looked over at Yondu and started laughing.

“What?!” Yondu looked at them curiously with a raised eyebrow.

Gwen smiled at Yondu, gesturing to him, and finished, “… and something blue.”

Jules chuckled, “you’ve definitely got the blue covered.”

Yondu snickered and shook his head, “Any other _rules_ I need to know? This is gettin’ down right confounding. Can’t see the dress, can’t see my wife, what else can’t I do?”

Jacob patted Yondu on the back, “Come with me, Yondu. We’ll go have a few beers and I’ll fill you in on what I remember.” They walked out to the backyard with Peter trailing after them.

The backyard was well decorated. The patio stretched across the length of the house, with a long table and eight chairs on the right of the doorway and a small table with two lounge chairs on the left. A large oval shaped pool took up the left half of the yard and the rest was grass. The fence was lined with orange and lime trees and small flowering bushes.

 

Everything had been set up and ready for the wedding the next day. It was nightfall and Gwen was getting in some quality time with Yondu before she headed up to switch rooms with Peter. Peter would sleep downstairs on the couch and Gwen and Gamora would bunk for the night.

Gwen was soaking in the ecstasy she was feeling underneath Yondu. His massive arms pulling her into him and his mouth kissing all over hers. Gwen hit her peak and moaned with pleasure as Yondu rode her climax with his own. When they finished, Yondu collapsed on the bed and rolled over, pulling Gwen into his arms. “This is stupid. I don’t understand why you have to sleep in another room. Why I can’t see you before the wedding. The wedding that ain’t a real wedding cause we’re already married and this one ain’t even legal anyway.”

Gwen rubbed her hand over his chest, “It’s only for a few hours. Besides, you’re the one who agreed to this in the first place.”

“That’s before I realized how convoluted it all was. You Terrans and your weird customs.”

Gwen chuckled at Yondu’s frustration. “It’s supposed to all be a surprise for you. Seeing me all prettied up. Like getting a fancy gift.”

“Still don’t make no sense.”

“Well, if it makes my mom happy, we can suck it up for a few more hours.” Gwen got up and got dressed. She bent back down to kiss Yondu before leaving the room. “I’ll see you at the altar.”

Yondu furrowed his brow with frustration, “What altar? There’s an altar? What am I gonna do, sacrifice you?!”

Gwen lowered her head onto his chest and laughed, “It’s just an expression, babe.” She raised up and kissed him again. “Goodnight.”

“Night.” He frumped, “Nonthin’ good about it. Just a night.” He rolled over with a huff and beat up his pillow before plopping back down on it.

Gwen chuckled and shut off the light on her way out.


	6. The Big Day

“Wake up, sleepy head!” Gwen was woken up by her sister barging into the bedroom. Jules walked to the window and threw open the blinds.

Gwen grumbled and rolled over, shoving her head under the pillow, “I’m gettin’ sick of this sunlight stuff real quick.”

Gamora had already gotten up and dressed. She walked in behind Jules, grinning with her hands on her hips, “The joys of ship life.”

“Come on Gwen! It’s your wedding day!” Jules plopped down on the bed next to her sister.

“Already married,” She held up her left hand, sticking her ring finger up as if she were flipping her sister off.

“Well we weren’t there so you’re getting a do-over. Suck it up, buttercup!”

“Nobody was there except Kraglin and Tullk, and they didn’t get all mushy about it.”

Jules rolled her eyes and patted Gwen’s side, “Come on. Let’s just get it over with and then we can all get drunk.”

Gwen groggily sat up and turned to her sister, her hair still in her face, “Now you’re speakin’ my language.”

The girls all hung out in the master bedroom, taking showers and getting ready. Jacob, Dylan and Robbie ran to the store to get the cake and the beer, and Peter and Yondu got dressed in the girls’ rooms.

Marianna came into the bedroom in a rush, “Okay, okay, got the food going, flowers are set out, I’ve got to get dressed. When the boys get back they’re going to set up the stereo in the backyard.” Gwen stepped out of the bathroom in her dress and heels. Marianna froze and put her hands to her mouth, “Oh honey, you look beautiful.” She started waving her face to keep her mascara dry.

Gwen smiled and rolled her eyes, “No tears today mom. I think we’ve all had enough of that.”

Marianna walked over to her daughter and held her hands, “I know I haven’t said it in a while, but I want you to know how proud I am of you. Everything you’ve accomplished, everything you’ve overcome. I’m just… I’m in awe of you, Gwennie.”

Gwen scoffed, “Stop that, you’re gonna make _me_ cry.”

 

Yondu and Peter were getting dressed in their Ravager uniforms. Yondu figured out he didn’t have to do much except show up and say ‘I do’ at the right time. “So she walks up with her dad, somebody makes a speech, we kiss and it’s party time.”

“Pretty much”, Peter was tucking his shirt into his pants, considering it was a semi-formal event.

“This ain’t so bad, I guess.”

“Yeah, not like arranged marriages of the past, when the women were given to men as dowry, sight unseen.”

Yondu looked over at Peter dumbfounded, “What the hell was wrong with your people?”

Peter scoffed and shook his head, “What _wasn’t_ wrong with them?”

Jacob and the boys finally came back with the cake. It wasn’t a tiered wedding cake, but rather a simple yet well decorated round cake. Dylan rolled in a dolly loaded with two of crates of beer. Peter warned him that Terran beer was no comparison to Xandarian beer, so they would need more. Dylan did not disappoint.

 

After everyone was dressed, the food was prepped, the music was ready and the beer was on ice, they started the ‘ceremony’. The music started and Jacob brought Gwen out to the backyard. It was then that Yondu finally saw Gwen. He let out an involuntary noise that he quickly covered with a cough. Her hair was braided on the sides and pinned back with beaded clips. She was wearing makeup, which was uncommon for her. Her eyeshadow matched the blue in her hair and on her dress, and her lips were a reddish brown; a nod to her Ravager side. She also held a bouquet of red and brown flowers. Yondu remembered what she had said about her supposedly being a ‘gift’ and grinned hotly at the thought of ‘unwrapping’ her later. Jacob walked her down a flower lined path to Yondu. He took Gwen’s hand and placed it in Yondu’s and stepped to the side with Marianna. The ceremony was short and sweet, and Gwen didn’t remember much of what was said. She stood in front of Yondu, blushing at the look he was giving her. They said their ‘I do’s’ dutifully and when Marianna told Yondu to kiss his bride, he grabbed her face and pulled her into him forcefully. Everyone laughed and then applauded.

“Don’t mess her up too much! I wanna get pictures!” Jules teased.

They took a few pictures with Gwen’s phone and then with Jacob’s camera and Dylan brought out the food. They ate and danced and laughed and joked. Yondu got cocky and thought it would be funny to throw Gwen into the pool, but he wound up regretting that decision when she grabbed his jacket and he fell in with her. Gwen laughed and swam over to her husband, wrapping her arms around his drenched jacket and kissing him. After a few minutes of splashing in the water, they climbed out of the pool. Yondu shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over the lounge chair, chuckling at Gwen. He sat down and pulled his boots off, turning them upside down on the cement. Dylan brought out towels for both of them. Yondu pulled off his vest and dress shirt and wrung the shirt out. Gwen struggled to wring her dress out and dry it with the towel, but it was no use. She dried her hair as best she could and then took Yondu’s hand and led him back into the house. They ran into their bedroom.

Yondu pulled Gwen into him and kissed her passionately. He slowly unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. Gwen unbuttoned Yondu’s pants. She tried to pull them off of him but the leather stuck to his skin. They both laughed and Yondu took over. He laid her down on the bed and kissed her all over, running his hands up and down her body.

In the backyard, Marianna tried to head inside, “I’m going to go get them some more towels. I don’t think she knows where the spares are.”

Jules choked on her beer and grabbed her mother’s arm. “Um, mom, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She chuckled. “Why don’t we just give them some privacy and wait til they come back out.”

Marianna’s face turned red, “Oh, right.”

Dylan, Peter and Robbie stripped down to their pants and jumped into the pool. They splashed and wrestled and Peter had fun throwing Robbie across the pool.

Marianna watched them and smiled, “So, do you think Gwen and Yondu might want to have kids some day?”

Gamora cleared her throat and gave Marianna a nervous glance, “More than likely that would never happen.”

“Why not?” she asked honestly.

“Mom, they’re not even the same species.” Jules added, “It’s probably not possible.”

Gamora continued, “Even if it was possible, our lives aren’t conducive to raising children. Yondu picked Peter up when he was just eight, but he’s had a rough life because of it.” She looked over at her Terran playing in the water, imagining what his life would have been like on Earth.

“Oh…” Marianna felt a crushing weight in her chest. Tears began welling up in her eyes, “Excuse me. I have to go… make sure I turned the oven off.”

Marianna walked back into the house and shut the door behind her. She let the tears fall briefly and then wiped her face and straightened herself up. She headed down the hallway to her bedroom to fix her makeup. As she passed the bedrooms, she heard a noise and turned around reflexively. To her surprise, Gwen’s bedroom door had been left cracked open. She quickly turned back and rushed into her room, shutting the door behind her. Luckily she saw nothing below the waist. Only a brief glimpse of Yondu on top of her daughter, kissing her adoringly and caressing her face. But it was Gwen’s enamored smile that really struck a chord with her. That girl was in love. After dating mister wrong after mister wrong for nearly twenty years she finally found what she had been looking for. And all this time he had been hiding in the stars. So what if it wasn’t the perfect American life she had hoped for Gwen. She may not have any kids, but she had a family. She didn’t have her mother’s dream, but she had her own, and she was beyond happy. Marianna couldn’t be upset about that. A peaceful calm filled her heart and she smiled. She fixed her makeup and was about to head back out, but realized she was now stuck in her room. She probably couldn’t sneak back out without them hearing her. So she decided to snuggle up in bed and watch some television… loudly.

 

The evening had finally died down and Gwen and Yondu were lounging on the couch in their pajamas watching The Lord of the Rings. Jules, Dylan and Robbie had gone home for the night and Marianna and Jacob had gone to bed. Peter and Gamora went back to the ship to check on the boys, so they were left alone for a few hours. Gwen was lying on her side, her head resting in Yondu’s lap with his legs propped up on the coffee table. He looked down at her peaceful face and grinned as he stroked her hair. She eventually fell asleep. And she dreamt…

 

Gwen dreamt of her friends back on the Eclector, playing cards and drinking. She dreamt of Rocket and his gadgets, of Groot and his warm smile, of Drax and his infectious laughter. She dreamt of Gamora and Peter having their own wedding. And she dreamt of Yondu, standing on the deck of his ship, smiling and holding his hand out to her.

Gwen awoke to Yondu scooping her up into his arms and carrying her to the bedroom. He laid her down and crawled into bed next to her. She turned around and curled up into his chest, “Hmmm… I had a really nice dream.”

“Oh yeah,” he smiled, kissing her head. “What about?”

Gwen yawned, “The Eclector, my friends, and you.”

“It’s about time you dreamt about me. I was startin’ to get jealous.” He teased.

Gwen giggled and kissed Yondu and then fell back to sleep.


	7. Saying Goodbye

The next morning everyone packed and got ready to head back to the ship. Gwen asked her family to make the trek with them. She thought it would be fun for them to see the ship and meet the rest of the crew, in the daylight, before they took off. They packed up some extra food and Gwen begged her mother to let her take her last box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Yondu and Gwen rode with Marianna and Jacob, and Peter and Gamora rode with Jules and her family.

They parked as close as possible to the path to the clearing, but they still had to walk by some of the park visitors. A man and woman stared, baffled, at both Yondu and Gamora.

Yondu huffed and rolled his eyes, “Comicon,” he said assuredly with a nod.

The couple nodded with a knowing smile.

Gamora held up her hand with her fingers split like Spock, “Live long and prosper.” She said, smiling at them.

Gwen tried hard to stifle her laughter but failed miserably.

“When are you guys gonna be back, Aunt Gwennie?” Robbie asked with a dejected frown.

“I dunno, maybe next year.”

“When can I go with you guys?”

Dylan jumped into the conversation, “Not until you’re at least eighteen. Sorry kiddo.” He hoped that he’d forget about wanting to go by then.

“Tough life on my ship, kid. Lots of hard work and gets kinda boring. You sure you want that?” Yondu added.

“I can be a hard worker! Just ask mom! I helped her in with the groceries yesterday!”

Yondu chuckled at Robbie’s enthusiasm. “You sure do remind me of Peter, kid.” He tousled Robbie’s shaggy hair.

They had finally reached the plateau and heard music coming from the ship. If Gwen didn’t know any better, she’d have thought it was Beastie Boys.

Peter and Gamora gave each other a confused look.

“Holy shit!” Dylan blurted out, gawking at the Milano.

“Dylan!” Jules scolded.

“Wow!” Robbie mirrored his father’s excitement.

“Oh my goodness!” Marianna gasped.

“You live in _that_?” Jacob asked Gwen pointing at the bird.

Gwen grinned at her father, “Nope. That’s Peter’s ship. I lived on it for the first few weeks, but I’ve been living on the Eclector ever since.”

“How big is the Eclector?” He asked in amazement.

Gwen sighed, “Oh, the Terran equivalent would probably be an aircraft carrier.”

“Holy Shit!”

“Dad!” Jules scolded her father, “Come on!”

“Sorry! Robbie, don’t ever repeat that.” Jacob snickered.

They walked up to the ship and sure enough it was Beastie Boys, So Whatcha Want playing throughout the ship. They walked up the ramp and found Rocket and Groot bobbing their heads to the music while making repairs to the wiring in the walls.

“Hey guys! Welcome back! We weren’t expecting you til tonight.” Rocket turned the music down and took off his goggles. “Wow, Gwen! Like the hair. Very bad ass.” He then noticed the group of Terrans standing behind them. “Please tell me we ain’t takin no more passengers. We ain’t got the room, Peter!”

“They just came to check out the ship. Where’d you get the music from?” Peter asked.

Rocket chuckled, “We tapped into the ‘ _interwebs_ ’ as the Terrans call it, found some streaming stations. This stuff’s not so bad! Kinda like these Beast Boys.”

“Beast _ie_ Boys,” Gwen grinned, “They’re iconic. You know your stuff.” Gwen winked and gave Rocket a thumbs up. Gwen turned to her family, “Guys, this is Rocket. He’s the ships technical engineer. Don’t touch him, he doesn’t like it.”

Rocket gave them a quick wave, “Sup!”

“This is Groot. He’s part bodyguard, part handyman er… handytree and a great listener.” Gwen patted Groot on the back.

Groot smiled and waved.

“Where’s Drax?” Peter asked.

“Oh he’s hiding in his bunk. He’s kinda pissed at me on account of the music blasting.” Rocket laughed.

Gwen opened the hatch to the lower half of the ship and lowered her head down into it, “Drax! Come out and meet my family!”

She stood up and smiled confidently, “He’ll be right out.”

Drax climbed up the hatch in a huff, “Peter, this irritating rodent has gone too far! His incessant use of the communications system for music has distressed my nerves!”

“Bite me, baldy!” Rocket folded his arms assertively.

Drax whipped around and glared at Rocket.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Rocket, shut off the music for now, would ya?” Peter defended Drax.

Gwen put her hand on Drax’s arm and smiled at her family, “Guys this is Drax. Also muscle and an all-around good guy. Side note, he doesn’t do metaphors.”

Drax smiled and shook their hands, “Hello everyone. I am delighted to finally meet Guinevere’s Terran family.”

Once the introductions were done, Gwen gave them the tour of the ship. She showed them the cockpit and the common room, the galley kitchen and her and Yondu’s temporary quarters.

Jules was in awe of the ship and shook her head at her sister, “So this is what you took off in, almost a year ago, huh? How were you not completely terrified?”

“Oh I was.” Gwen assured her. “But it was an exciting kind of terrified. I did actually pass out at one point.”

Jules laughed at her sister “Only once?” She walked over to the cockpit where Peter was showing Robbie all of the controls and explaining what each button and lever did. Jacob and Marianna were having an interesting conversation with Drax, and Rocket was showing off his favorite weapons to Dylan. The entire scene was so surreal to Gwen that she had to shake her head and laugh.

Yondu walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist. “This trippin’ you out, too?”

Gwen chuckled, “Yeah just a little bit.”  
He rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “To tell the truth, I can’t wait to get you home. I’m tired of sharin’ you.”

Gwen caressed his face and patted his cheek, “I’m right there with you, Captain.”

 

The group stayed for dinner and then played games. The Terran boys tried to teach the others how to play American football and in return they tried to teach the Terrans how to play Bankjo. Rocket turned the music back on, to a decent level, and Drax lit a bonfire right at sundown. Peter brought out his Xandarian beer. He wanted Dylan to have a go at it and then laughed when his face puckered at the sour taste.

Everyone was sitting around the bonfire drinking, laughing and talking when a familiar song came on the radio. Yondu glanced at Gwen and winked. Gwen scoffed and rolled her eyes “Oh my goodness.” She laughed and her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She tried to hide her face behind her hands. Yondu stood up and lifted her off the ground. He wrapped his arms around her waist and danced with her slowly, “Brings back some fond memories.” He grinned at her playfully. 

 

_You did not break me_

_I’m still fighting for peace_

_Well I’ve got a thick skin and an elastic heart_

_But your blade it might be too sharp_

_I’m like a rubber band until you pull too hard_

_Yeah I may snap and I move fast_

“What’s this?” Marianna asked Peter curiously.

Peter smirked and spoke quietly to Marianna, “This is the song that Gwen danced to, one night, when she was trying to get Yondu’s attention. We were sitting around a bonfire just like this one, on Xandar. She had had one too many and was trying ridiculously to seduce him.” Peter snickered and took another drink.

“You mean _she_ went after _him_?” She asked, shocked.

Peter nodded, “Oh yeah, she had googly eyes for him from the minute she stepped on the ship.”

“In all fairness,” Gamora added, “he did too, for her, but his stubborn ass was too prideful to admit it.”

“Well I’ll be damned.” Marianna laughed.

 

The night finally came to an end and it was time for Gwen to say goodbye to her Terran family. She made sure to give proper goodbyes this time. There was no rush, and she was even wearing shoes. She hugged Dylan and Jules and gave Robbie a big squishy bear hug. She promised she would visit for his birthday, and every year until he was old enough to join them, if he still wanted. Gwen hugged her father tight and then her mother. Gwen was extremely grateful for the time she spent with her, that she could help her heal, and that they finally made peace with their last visit.

Marianna smiled with tears streaming down her cheeks, “So, so proud of you, my Gwennie. Be safe, and have fun!”

“I will, Momma.” Gwen hugged her tight once more.

Marianna turned to Yondu and held his face in her hands. She smiled and hugged the large, blue man. Yondu chuckled and hugged her back.

“Try to keep my baby safe, Captain.”

“I’ll do my best.”

She pulled back to look him in the eyes, “And don’t forget about that conversation you still need to have with her.”

He pressed his lips together and nodded, “I know, I know.”

“What conversation? Are you two keeping secrets from me now?” She teased.

Marianna wiped her cheeks, “Take it up with the big guy.” She hugged her daughter one last time before stepping off the ship.

Gwen stood at the bay doors and waved until they closed tight. She took her seat next to Yondu and the ship rumbled to life. Outside the ship, Robbie yelled with delight and jumped up and down eagerly watching the space ship leave the ground. It hovered for a moment longer before taking off into the sky.

 

“You sad to be leaving this time, Gwen?” Peter called back.

Gwen laughed, “No Peter, I’m not. Earth is a nice place to visit. But I wouldn’t want to live there.”


End file.
